Myanmar's jade industry is worth billions of dollars annually, and yet only a small fraction of its profits benefit the country's citizens. Meanwhile, the sector is responsible for environmental damage, corruption, conflict and social problems.

The Guyanese government has taken a number of commendable steps in its plan to save a portion of the country’s forthcoming oil revenues in a new sovereign wealth fund, according to a new report. However, the analysis urges officials to address underlying weaknesses in the fund’s design to maximize its effectiveness.

A more balanced fiscal regime is needed for the Congolese mining sector to bring the maximum benefits to the country, according to a French-language report released this month. NRGI remains committed to supporting all stakeholders in pursuing this objective.

The index measures the quality of resource governance in 81 countries that together produce 82 percent of the world’s oil, 78 percent of its gas and a significant proportion of minerals, including 72 percent of all copper. It is the product of 89 country assessments (eight countries were assessed in two sectors), compiled by 150 researchers, using almost 10,000 supporting documents.

Publishing these contracts will create space for much-needed public scrutiny of deals that can be worth billions of dollars to the people of Nigeria. It also provides an important opportunity for the government and companies to build public trust in the petroleum industry.

The Charter is a set of principles for governments and societies on how to best harness the opportunities created by extractive resources for development. It is not a recipe or blueprint for the policies and institutions countries must build, but instead provides the ingredients successful countries have used.